No charges for police in fatal Bridgeton traffic stop

Shelia Reid (center, wearing hat) walks with other protesters in Bridgeton in February. Her son, Jerame Reid, was fatally shot by city police during a traffic stop Dec. 30. A grand jury decided not to indict the officers, officials announced Thursday.(Photo: AP Photo/Mel Evans)

BRIDGETON – No criminal charges will be filed against the two Bridgeton police officers who said they "feared for their lives" the night they shot at and killed Jerame C. Reid during a December traffic stop.

The Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office announced the grand jury decision Thursday.

The conclusion of an eight-month investigation into the deadly police encounter produced the most detailed account yet, corroborating the actions taken by city police officers Braheme L. Days and Roger W. Worley, who fired a total of eight shots at Reid on Dec. 30.

Both officers expressed feeling "imminent danger" during the confrontation with Reid, who was a passenger in a car driven by Leroy Tutt of Long Branch. The car initially was pulled over for running a stop sign and was later found to have a handgun inside the glove compartment with DNA matching Reid's, the report said.

The investigation, headed by Cumberland County First Assistant Prosecutor Harold B. Shapiro, offers personal accounts by both officers — who have since been placed on paid administrative leave — along with a detailed analysis of how the incident unfolded.

The report does not identify the officers by name, but previously released public documents make it clear that Days is "Officer 1" and Worley is "Officer 2."

As the public digests the findings, city leaders hope members of the community respect the judicial process and refrain from violence.

Jerame C. Reid(Photo: File photo)

"I'm sure some people are going to be saddened by the end result of the grand jury — we're talking about the life of a young man who's no longer here," Bridgeton Mayor Albert B. Kelly said. "The results are what they are and so I just got to believe in the system, and I ask the people in the community to be patient."

He added, "I'm still asking for understanding and patience from the community in analyzing the results."

Shapiro's report, which includes findings from the joint investigation headed by the Prosecutor's Office and New Jersey State Police, relied on interviews with witnesses, as well as both Days and Worley, and Tutt.

Neither officer has spoken publicly on the incident.

The shooting took place during a time of national unrest regarding the use of deadly force by police.

Thursday's revelation absolving Days and Worley of criminal charges did not sit well with some.

Walter Hudson, who led rallies protesting the manner of Reid's death in Bridgeton throughout the year, offered his comments on the investigation Thursday, saying the result did not surprise him.

"We knew they were not going to be indicted just because of the police culture in America," Hudson said. "It's still sad that an unarmed person can still be shot unjustifiably. We have no faith and trust in the Cumberland prosecutor."

Thursday's detailed account begins with the Dec. 30 incident, in which Reid, 36, of Seabrook, was a passenger in a blue Jaguar sedan driven by Tutt.

The two were pulled over by Days and Worley about 9:22 p.m. after their car was observed failing to completely halt at a stop sign.

After the officers activated their lights, Tutt's vehicle parked near the intersection of Henry Street and South Avenue, and an account of what transpired was caught on a video camera inside the officers' vehicle.

The footage — eventually released to the media following Open Public Records Act requests — gave the community its first glimpse of how the incident played out, and the newly released investigatory findings follow the sequence of events in the video.

Lawanda Reid talks to supporters on the steps of Cumberland County Courthouse.(Photo: File)

In Shapiro's report, both officers are said to have approached the car after it stopped, conversing with Tutt and Reid through open windows as they sat in the vehicle.

Days approached Reid's side of the car, while Worley took Tutt's side.

Tutt is said to have been compliant, keeping his hands on his steering wheel and producing the requested documents as ordered by the officers, according to the report.

But once Tutt opened the glove compartment, a handgun was revealed to officers, which set in motion a series of events eventually leading to Reid's death.

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Friends and family of the late Jerame C. Reid mark his birthday with an outdoor community barbecue Sunday.(Photo: Daniel J. Kov/Staff photographer)

With their service weapons aimed at both men, Days ordered Reid not to reach for the handgun, which both officers said in interviews with Shapiro that he was attempting to do.

Shapiro's investigation mentions that at the car stop, Days recognized Reid from previous interactions with law enforcement — a 2014 incident in which he resisted arrest, and another account in which a 15-year-old Reid was said to have fired shots at state police in a Buena Vista Township holdup.

At the traffic stop, Days was able to remove the handgun from the car and held it in his left hand while still pointing his service weapon at Reid, according to the report.

Research later conducted by the New Jersey State Police DNA Laboratory found the weapon — a Browning Pro-40 .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun — with only Reid's DNA, the report states.

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Chavela Green of Bridgeton, right, carried a sign during a vigil and march in honor of Jerame C. Reid, who was killed by Bridgeton Police last week, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 in Bridgeton. Staff Photo/Sean M. Fitzgerald Sean M. Fitzgerald

Bridgeton Mayor Albert Kelly, center, who is also a police chaplain, gives an prayer invocation during a vigil and march in honor of Jerame C. Reid, who was killed by Bridgeton Police last week, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 in Bridgeton. Staff Photo/Sean M. Fitzgerald Sean M. Fitzgerald

Saquion Gullett, a crisis coordinator with National Awareness Alliance of Penns Grove, addresses supporters front of Cumberland County Courthouse following a march in honor of Jerame C. Reid, who was killed by Bridgeton Police last week, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 in Bridgeton. Staff Photo/Sean M. Fitzgerald Sean M. Fitzgerald

Widow Lawanda Reid talks to supporters on the steps of Cumberland County Courthouse following a vigil and march in honor of her husband Jerame C. Reid, who was killed by Bridgeton Police last week, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 in Bridgeton. Staff Photo/Sean M. Fitzgerald Sean M. Fitzgerald

Saquion Gullett, a crisis coordinator with National Awareness Alliance of Penns Grove, talks during a vigil and march in honor of Jerame C. Reid, who was killed by Bridgeton Police last week, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 in Bridgeton. Staff Photo/Sean M. Fitzgerald Sean M. Fitzgerald

Face-to-face, in close distance from each other, Days then shot Reid several times.

Seven bullets left Days' gun; one hailed from Worley's weapon while he was standing on the other side of the car, the report states.

Reid then fell to the ground and was later pronounced dead at Inspira Medical Center in Vineland.

An autopsy report found that among the multiple shots, Reid sustained penetrating wounds to his lung, chest and heart.

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Saquion Gullett, a crisis coordinator with National Awareness Alliance of Penns Grove, addresses supporters front of Cumberland County Courthouse following a march in honor of Jerame C. Reid, who was killed by Bridgeton Police last week, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 in Bridgeton.(Photo: Sean M. Fitzgerald)

Worley's single shot through the windshield was determined not to have struck Reid at all.

The cause of Reid's death was ruled multiple gunshot wounds, according to the report.

Shapiro's investigation found that — through the officers' statements — both cops felt they were in imminent danger and "feared for their lives" right before they opened fire on Reid.

Days "believed that (Reid) had a weapon or was planning to take the handgun(s) out of his hands," the report states.

Shapiro said all of the facts were presented by the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office to a Grand Jury, who were instructed on the law of justification and potential criminal charges against Days and Worley.

The jury ultimately declined to indict both officers on Aug. 19, according to Shapiro.

Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae recused herself early in the investigation, saying in March she personally knew Days outside of work.

The post, in part, read, "With the utmost respect for the family of the late Jerame Reid, the department as a whole has supported and will continue to support the actions of the officers since the night of the tragic incident."

"No police officer wants any incident to end with any loss of life, including their own. Officers must make split-second decisions routinely and unfortunately, at times, those decisions can be fatal."

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Rally for Reid at Bridgeton City Hall
Sean M. Fitzgerald

It continued, "I have had faith in the process in place since the onset of the investigation as well as faith in a grand jury to render a decision, but moreover, I have faith in the leadership and residents of this great city to understand and accept the decision so that the department and the community can continue to build long-lasting partnerships to help make Bridgeton a better community to live and thrive."

Gaimari said both Days and Worley will remain on paid administrative leave while the department's Internal Affairs office and the county Prosecutor's Office review the matter.